Joint venture chosen for KC streetcar contract

Kansas City, Mo., has selected Herzog Contracting Corp., in conjunction with Stacy and Witbeck, Inc. as finalists for a $102 million contract to build the city's initial 2.2-mile streetcar line.

The team, under a joint venture named KC Streetcar Constructors Herzog/Witbeck JV, will enter final negotiations with the city promptly.

A spokesman for Kansas City's Public Works Department told local media the city now expects the finalization process to take about four weeks, with results to be sent to the Kansas City Council for approval.

Herzog COO Al Landes said the selection means the Herzog/Witbeck joint venture is ready to proceed, adding that Herzog and Witbeck have worked together on several rail projects in the western United States for the past 12 years. "We're very excited about it," he said, referring to the Kansas City project.

The move comes as the project is being challenged by some downtown property owners, who believe a special assessments tax voted on by area businesses and residents along the proposed line is unconstitutional.

City officials contend that the challenge comes too late to be valid. Last April officials said they would seek to piggyback an order through options held by Cincinnati or Salt Lake City, which are advancing their own streetcar lines by tapping CAF USA and Siemens Mobility, respectively.